This course will become read-only in the near future. Tell us at community.p2pu.org if that is a problem.

Want to write a novel…in the month of November? Let’s all get ready for it together.

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is in November. It is a fun, fast-paced race to write a novel in 30 days. Participants begin writing on November 1. The goal is to write 50,000 words of a novel by the end of November 30.

This group will have fun with some prep activities to get ready for NaNoWriMo during October.

Motivation and commitment

Add your own tasks to this!

B1- Make a public declaration, preferably somewhere like Facebook or Twitter, that you are writing a novel in November. Then keep talking about it to everyone you know. (Common wisdom is that the embarrassment of backing out of this motivates many to succeed. If not, at least it makes you seem more interesting to family and friends.)

B2 - What is your ultimate vision of success for you as a writer? Form a vision of this. Write a paragraph about what your life as a successful writer will be like 6 months, a year, or whatever from now. If you’re artistic, draw a picture. Focus on this vision of success every day between now and November 30.

B3 - Make a list of all the reasons/excuses that you might not be able to write a novel in November. At the end, decide whether any of these are going to deter you. If not, make a commitment to yourself to succeed.

B4 - Make a writing schedule for yourself for the month of November. When will you write? How much will you write?

B5- Get together a collection of treats for yourself for November. It could be chocolate, adult beverages, hot bubblebaths, massages, or hikes in the woods – anything you want. These are to be used only as rewards for meeting your writing goals!

B6- Find a partner who will willingly nag you and prefer to be nagged back. Decide together the appropriate and most encouraging form of nagging that will work.

B7- Begin a conversation with your lead character in your journal now. It should be a discussion (argument) about why he/she should be brought to life or not.